Ano Valsamonero Vacation Rentals

"Beautiful hotel, staff are so friendly and helpful. Facilities great, hotel feel is laid back and luxurious but not fussy. Very clean and beautifully kept grounds. Location is great 30 minute walk to beautiful little town Panormo which has plenty restaurants, bars and a few shops. 30 minute drive into the city of Rethymno. I highly recommend this hotel for a relaxed base to explore Crete, we stayed for 1 week and felt we could have easily stayed another few days. "

"We loved our stay at the Blue Elephant. The property itself is lovely, with a lovely pool that has a gorgeous view, the rooms are spacious with everything you need. We had a shared plunge pool and loved it. We never saw our neighbours who we shared it with. The staff were also fantastic, with a special shout out Kostas and Emiliano at the pool restaurant and bar area. Penny at reception was also very helpful. Everyone we encountered was friendly and lovely. There were only a few things on the very small con list and that is while the breakfast buffet was lovely, it was exactly the same everyday, no variarion at all and the milk area was kept out in a fairly warmish area - if they'd put the milk in ice that would be great! But honestly, those were small things. The town of Almyrida is lovely, with everything in walking distance. Lots of great restaurants with friendly and lovely employees. Just note that if you have a mobility impairment there is a fairly steep hill from the main drag to the hotel. It would not be an easy walk to get up. We will definitely be back, it's one of the loveliest hotels we've stayed at."

"Exceptional resort. The staff is outstanding, very attentive to the needs of the guests. Although it is an all inclusive resort, it should be noted that room service is NOT included as an all-inclusive benefit; you will have to pay for it."

"Lovely hotel and staff. Rooms were cleaned regularly, air con worked perfectly and it was generally an all round joy to stay there. "

"Beautiful hotel and service was fantastic in every part of the hotel except for the buffet. There were a lot of staff but always had to call someone to the table to either get a drink or set the table. Also, ordered drinks that never came. This happened on multiple occasions. Other than that, the hotel service was impeccable. I would highly recommend. "

"Loved this place, staff, buffet"

"A fantastic location with an expansive patio/pool complex, good restaurant/bar, and a friendly, knowledgeable staff that speak English."

"I would not rate this property 4 stars. The ‘all inclusive’ was very limited. The dining area is very small with only a few choices at meal times. The walk to the beach was unpleasant. The hotel is on a noisy main road. I think the pictures are not a realistic reflection of how the hotel looks"

"The hotel is beautiful, public spaces are not modern but very well kept, outdoor areas are beautiful with plenty of open space for the kids to run around. We had 2 classic double rooms and one 2BR Mythika suite, the classic rooms were OK, decent size, in good condition but could use some refreshing. The Mythika suite was amazing, spacious, renovated, cleaned a few times through the day and included tasty goodies (fruits, wine, etc). Mythika guests receive private beach seating, benefits at restaurants (which we didn't use as are our party were not entitled) and free late check-out up to 6PM! (which was fantastic as our flight was late). Beach and pools are very cozy, there's a shortage of sunbeds in the big pool but we managed. Parts we liked less: The water park, it's in all the hotel pictures on Expedia, and the hotel's FB an IG pages advertised the new park set to open in the beginning of the season. Unfortunately the park wasn't ready, it's set to open soon and we weren't offered an alternative. Other points: Hotel has lots of stairs, there are some elevators but they are small and slow. AC in the rooms works only in the afternoons, problematic in hot days and during the night (hotel could only offer a rattily noisy fan as a solution). Apart from the beautiful kids club we found the animation schedule a bit lacking. And finally, some of the staff are not as friendly as you'd expect for a 5* resort, we found ourselves having to "nudge" some of them into helping at times."